The London Borough of Ealing is leading a major procurement on behalf of the West London Alliance and other local authorities. They’ve opened a Light Touch Framework for supported accommodation and semi-independent living services for young people. The framework runs for eight years (4+2+2) with a total budget of £3.5 billion, making this one of the largest accommodation procurements currently open in London.
This is a flexible Light Touch Framework under Section 45 of the Procurement Act 2023, and it reopens at least twice a year. So if a particular window isn’t right for you, there’ll be another one. Right now, Region 1 is the open region, covering 32 London boroughs, Surrey and Buckinghamshire.
What services are required?
The framework covers Supported Accommodation and Semi-Independent Living Services across two lots:
- Lot 1: Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation for 16 to 17 year olds and care leavers up to age 25. Only Ofsted-registered providers can bid for this lot.
- Lot 2: Floating support and accommodation-based semi-independent living for 18 to 25 year olds. No Ofsted registration required, as long as you aren’t supporting any 16 to 17 year olds.
Providers can apply for one lot or both. There’s no limit on the number of providers that can be admitted onto the framework.
Pricing isn’t set at framework level. Providers submit their own hourly rates. The standard weekly fee includes a minimum of 2 hours of direct support per week, and any additional hours are charged at the provider’s submitted rate.
What is it solving?
Three connected pressures sit behind this framework. The first is statutory duty. London boroughs have legal responsibilities to looked-after children, care leavers and homeless young people, and they need a reliable supply chain to discharge those duties. The second is regulatory change. From October 2023, supported accommodation for 16 to 17 year olds in care became a regulated activity under Ofsted, which means councils now need a route to source registered providers specifically for that cohort. The third is regional coordination. By running one framework across multiple authorities, councils get more buying power, more consistent quality standards, and fewer fragmented placements.
For the young people being placed, the goal is safe, suitable, age-appropriate accommodation that supports the transition to independent adulthood. The age split between Lot 1 and Lot 2 reflects that journey: regulated supported accommodation at 16 to 17, then semi-independent living from 18 to 25.
Who is it ideal for?
This framework suits supported accommodation providers, semi-independent living providers and floating support specialists who already have operational services in place at the point of application. The Council won’t accept applications from providers who only have plans on paper. You need to be operating already.
It’s also a strong fit for growing providers. Because the framework reopens at least twice a year and there’s no cap on appointments, you can apply now or wait until you’ve built more capacity and apply at a future window.
Service type and user group
The service is supported accommodation, semi-independent living and floating support for young people. Two distinct cohorts are covered:
- Lot 1: 16 to 17 year olds and care leavers up to age 25, in Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation.
- Lot 2: 18 to 25 year olds in semi-independent accommodation or receiving floating support.
Lot structure
- Lot 1: Supported Accommodation (Ofsted registered) for 16 to 17 year olds and care leavers up to 25. Ofsted registration certificate is mandatory. The Ofsted outcome rating must be “Consistently strong” or “Inconsistent quality”. A rating of “Serious and widespread weaknesses” is unacceptable and will fail.
- Lot 2: Floating Support and Accommodation-based Semi-Independent Living for 18 to 25 year olds. No Ofsted registration required, provided you’re not supporting any 16 to 17 year olds. For accommodation-based services, you must have operational properties. For floating support only, no accommodation is required (local authorities may offer properties for floating support placements).
You can apply for both lots, but each one is assessed against its own eligibility tests.
Location
The framework operates in geographical regions. Region 1, which is currently open, covers 32 London boroughs, Surrey and Buckinghamshire. Providers must have operational services or properties within that area at the point of application. Most placements follow the “place close to home” principle, but some young people will need to be placed at distance for safeguarding or complexity reasons.
Mandatory eligibility requirements
These are the pass-or-fail conditions. Miss any of these and your application won’t progress.
- Ofsted registration for Lot 1, with an outcome rating of “Consistently strong” or “Inconsistent quality”. A rating of “Serious and widespread weaknesses” disqualifies.
- Operational services or properties in Region 1 at application point. Plans aren’t enough.
- Service manager with minimum 2 years’ experience working with young people.
- Level 3 Safeguarding qualification and Level 3 Leadership & Management for service managers. If not already held, must be achieved within the first year.
- Enhanced DBS checks for all staff prior to starting duties, refreshed at least every 3 years.
- Dun & Bradstreet Failure Risk Rating of Low, Low to Moderate, or Moderate. Moderate-High, High or Severe ratings trigger a manual financial assessment. The Financial Assessment Model has a pass mark of 13 out of 19 points, scored across Current Ratio (max 5), Gearing (max 5), Turnover/Net Assets (max 5) and D&B Rating (max 4).
- Core Supplier Information via the Central Digital Platform (CDP).
- No mandatory or discretionary exclusion grounds under Schedules 6 and 7 of the Procurement Act 2023.
- All Pass/Fail criteria in the PSQ must be achieved.
- Full compliance with ITT instructions. Any non-compliance results in disqualification.
Required policies
The Council specifically requires evidence of the following policies. This is one of the most detailed policy lists you’ll see on a young people’s accommodation framework:
- Safeguarding (Children and Vulnerable Adults)
- Health & Safety
- Equality & Diversity
- Missing Children and Reducing Criminalisation
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- Child Criminal Exploitation
- Substance and Alcohol Misuse
- Sexual Health Awareness
- Mental Health Awareness
- Prevent
- Medication Support
- Data Protection (UK GDPR)
- Drugs and Anti-Social Behaviour
What else should providers have in place?
- Ofsted registration with the right outcome rating, for Lot 1 applicants.
- Operational properties that meet current housing standards: fire safety, gas safety, electrical safety (EICRs), HHSRS compliance, and energy performance certificates.
- A specialist workforce trained in trauma-informed practice, transition support, life skills development, and risk management for young people with complex needs.
- Safeguarding governance with clear escalation routes into local authority placing teams, children’s social care, leaving care teams, the Metropolitan Police and CAMHS where relevant.
- Out-of-hours response capability for safety-critical issues, missing-from-care incidents, and emergency support.
- Reporting and data infrastructure that can produce the placement, outcomes and incident data each placing authority will require.
Watch: tender summary video
Next steps
If you want to speak to a sales manager about your application, book a consultation with the AssuredBID team. We’ll talk through your eligibility against Lot 1 or Lot 2, your Ofsted position (if applying for the 16 to 17 cohort), your operational coverage in Region 1, your D&B rating and financial position, and your bid strategy. Our specialist bid writers can then support your submission, whether you’re applying in this reopening window or at a later one.
To review the full eligibility criteria, lot specifications, geographical regions and submission process, visit Ealing Light Touch Framework for Supported Accommodation and Semi-Independent Living.
